By Esther Onyegbula

The Association of Community Pharmacists of Nigeria (ACPN) has called on the Federal Government to introduce a nationwide early detection protocol for Ebola, proposing the integration of community pharmacies into Nigeria’s disease surveillance system to strengthen preparedness for infectious disease outbreaks.

The association urged President Bola Tinubu to issue an executive directive to facilitate the immediate implementation of its proposed ‘Pharmacy First’ initiative, which would position community pharmacies as frontline centres for identifying suspected Ebola cases and referring affected individuals to designated health facilities.

In a position statement issued after a press conference and signed by its National Chairman, Pharm. Ezeh Ambrose, the ACPN said leveraging community pharmacies across the country’s 774 local government areas would bring early symptom recognition closer to Nigerians, particularly those in communities with limited access to conventional healthcare facilities.
The association maintained that integrating pharmacists into the national surveillance framework would facilitate timely referrals, improve outbreak monitoring and reduce pressure on secondary and tertiary healthcare facilities.

“We consider it necessary to sensitise and mobilise the Federal Government to approve specific investment plans to leverage the Pharmacy First Initiative as a front-line Ebola detection protocol, which stands as one of the best mechanisms to catalyse Universal Health Coverage (UHC) in Nigeria,” the statement read.
According to the ACPN, the initiative would expand the role of community pharmacists beyond dispensing medicines to include early symptom recognition, health education, basic screening and prompt referral of individuals presenting with symptoms suggestive of Ebola and other infectious diseases.

It explained that properly structured community pharmacies could serve as accessible first-contact points where individuals with suspected symptoms could receive appropriate guidance and be directed to designated health facilities for further assessment and testing.
The association added that establishing clear referral pathways and integrating pharmacies into disease surveillance would support contact-tracing efforts and help ensure that suspected cases receive timely guidance on isolation and further medical evaluation.

It argued that such an approach could also reduce the risk of exposure in crowded hospital settings by facilitating early identification and referral before suspected cases spread through healthcare facilities.
“At the centre of strategising for epidemic response and Universal Health Coverage, governments at all levels must structure community pharmacies to provide first-line Ebola screening and Primary Health Care services through better access to essential drugs and management of uncomplicated diseases, which ultimately reduces the burden of services on secondary and tertiary health facilities,” the association stated.

Warns against surveillance gaps
The ACPN warned that failure to integrate community pharmacies into Nigeria’s frontline epidemic response could undermine early detection efforts and expose healthcare workers, patients and the wider population to avoidable risks.
Pharm. Ezeh said community pharmacies, because of their widespread presence and accessibility, could play a critical role in connecting communities to the formal healthcare system during public health emergencies.

He cautioned that delayed identification of suspected cases at the grassroots could complicate containment efforts and increase the burden on major hospitals.
“We cannot afford to repeat past missteps where delayed grassroots surveillance allowed outbreaks to spiral out of control. If the Federal Government fails to integrate community pharmacies into this primary protocol, our major hospitals will inevitably become ground zero for cross-infection, overwhelmed before an outbreak is even fully mapped. Leaving community pharmacies out of the first line of defence is not just a missed opportunity; it is an unacceptable hazard to national health security,” he said.

The ACPN chairman called on President Tinubu to issue an executive directive enabling the immediate rollout of the proposed protocol, arguing that the existing community pharmacy network could provide a foundation for rapid deployment.
“Every day of delay places an unnecessary burden on our tertiary hospitals and leaves millions of Nigerians without accessible early detection. Community pharmacies are already fully staffed, equipped, and embedded across all 774 Local Government Areas. We require zero infrastructure expenditure from the government to deploy this immediately. We urge President Bola Tinubu to issue the enabling policy directive today, and our national network will activate the ‘Pharmacy First’ screening protocol within 48 hours,” Pharm. Ezeh declared.

Beyond the proposed Ebola detection protocol, the association identified gaps in policy leadership, digital integration, evidence generation, quality improvement and collaboration among healthcare professionals as major obstacles to effective epidemic preparedness and response.
To address these challenges, it proposed a five-point reform framework focused on establishing a unified vision for epidemic preparedness, improving clinical quality and public trust, integrating digital technology and data-driven surveillance into routine pharmacy practice, strengthening collaboration with primary healthcare centres, and building effective partnerships with health insurance providers.

The ACPN also called for standardised reporting systems that would enable community pharmacies to transmit relevant surveillance data to national health databases, providing public health authorities with timely information to monitor disease patterns and identify potential outbreaks.
Citing international experiences, the association noted that community pharmacy networks had helped sustain access to essential healthcare services and support frontline clinical activities during public health emergencies.

It referenced the United Kingdom as an example of a health system where community pharmacies had played an important role in maintaining access to care when conventional medical services experienced disruptions.
The association said deeper integration of community pharmacies into Nigeria’s primary healthcare system would improve access to essential services and strengthen the country’s ability to respond to emerging public health threats.

However, it stressed that the proposed initiative would require clear clinical guidelines, standardised referral procedures, surveillance protocols and effective coordination mechanisms to ensure that pharmacists operate within defined professional and public health standards.

While seeking government intervention, the ACPN urged community pharmacists nationwide to improve operational standards, embrace modern practice models and invest in facility upgrades to support quality service delivery.
“In view of changing times, Community Pharmacists must respond accordingly to explore investment opportunities with free funds to achieve the goals of Good Pharmacy Practice (GPP) in the realistic interest of patients,” the statement added.

The association called on the Tinubu administration and the Federal Ministry of Health to establish a joint task force to develop and formalise the proposed framework, including the necessary clinical guidelines, referral procedures, surveillance protocols and coordination arrangements.
It maintained that with appropriate government backing, professional oversight and integration into the national disease surveillance system, community pharmacies could become a critical link between communities and Nigeria’s wider epidemic response network.

The ACPN said the proposed ‘Pharmacy First’ initiative would extend the country’s frontline disease detection capacity beyond hospitals to neighbourhood pharmacies that millions of Nigerians already visit for healthcare advice and essential medicines.